Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He began at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed that EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Just over three years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly autonomous label Secret Mode. Galactic Racer arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s Racer Revenge, and it does so at a moment when the racing genre has generally slipped out of the spotlight. Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the project didn’t fit the market’s current appetite.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus from racing to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a market exists for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“Our community of viewers and readers tells us we’re not alone in that belief.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface.
"As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience," Webster says. He believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, "What can we do when we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?" The answer includes wildly imaginative tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and feel like roller‑coasters. Beyond the arcade thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.
Traditional racing titles have relied on a static car‑collection model for about two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing.
In many modern racers, a rewind button nullifies any penalty, but Galactic Racer re‑introduces risk. "If you crash too often you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position," he explains. The tension of a limited number of crashes forces players to weigh risk versus reward, a design choice inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire. Those games are built for infinite replayability, a quality that dovetails naturally with the replay‑driven nature of racing.
Webster acknowledges that this approach is a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases, especially in a year when blockbuster titles like GTA 6 are slated for launch. Galactic Racer is scheduled for release on October 6, a comfortable gap before GTA 6’s November 19 debut, yet it lands close to other high‑profile releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both arriving on September 24.
"September always looks busy, but October has historically been a crowded month too," he notes, recalling the industry’s old nickname "Murderers’ Row" for a packed launch window. Despite the competition, Fuse Games maintains a "healthy sense of confidence" tempered by a realistic outlook. The conversation turns to the broader industry climate, particularly the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios. Webster, who has witnessed a similar contraction about fifteen years ago, stresses that great teams make great games, and great games find their audience.
He sees the current risk‑averse environment as an opening for studios willing to take calculated bets. "If you avoid risk, you limit opportunity," he says.
Funding, however, remains a significant hurdle for new independent studios. When Fuse launched in early 2023, many questioned the wisdom of starting a studio in a tough financial climate.
Webster reflects on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing the transition to independence as a steep learning curve. He emphasizes three principles that guided him: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning while staying adaptable. "The plan is always wrong, but it’s the best version you have today," he says, adding that engaged, motivated talent is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse’s team is deliberately lean—about 75 people—for a game with AAA ambitions.
Rather than scaling the core staff up and down, the studio leans heavily on external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even the code base. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are eager to work across multiple teams, keeping their staff fresh and motivated. From Fuse’s perspective, this model proves that a AAA‑scale game can be built on a sustainable budget without the traditional massive internal workforce.
The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from studio inception to a near‑finished product built on Unreal Engine 5—demonstrates the efficacy of this approach. Another notable aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its focus on younger talent.
While the studio includes several Criterion veterans, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry, with at least one producer having no prior gaming experience. Webster praises this influx of fresh perspectives: "They are smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age.
It’s extraordinary." He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but nurturing young talent creates a more dynamic and motivating environment for everyone involved. He hopes to formalize an internship program in the future, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality. Reflecting on a period a few years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how successful studios would receive funding to spin off new ventures, only to discover how challenging independent studio life can be.
He argues that money should be allocated to great teams rather than a handful of so‑called "superstar" creators. "The fixation on a singular creative visionary is nonsense," he says.
"Games are always made by collaborations of individuals." Looking ahead, Webster admits that Fuse’s next steps are still taking shape. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and directions. Flexibility and adaptability, he notes, are essential qualities for independent developers navigating today’s ever‑changing market.